‘Pork’ is new minority leader’s top priority

MANILA, Philippines—The incoming minority leader of the House of Representatives on Friday said his top priority was to ensure that all minority congressmen would get their P70 million annual priority development assistance fund or pork barrel.

In an interview, Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez said that he would ask President Benigno Aquino III to make good his promise to give all House members, whether friend or foe, their share of the pork barrel to ensure their constituents of extra funds from the government.

Suarez was a leading member of the ruling party in the Arroyo administration which had been notorious for using the pork barrel as a carrot to curry loyalty from its allies and stick to punish its foes.

Last year, all but five of the 285 members in the House received their pork barrel in full. Those who did not were Diosdado “Dato” Arroyo (Camarines Sur), Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo (Ang Galing Pinoy), Ignacio Arroyo (Negros Occidental) Augusto Syjuco (Iloilo), and Milagros Magsaysay (Zambales).

Magsaysay claimed that she was forced to discontinue most of her scholarship and medical programs because these were dependent on the pork barrel.

Suarez said that the minority would take a more aggressive stance in its role as a fiscalizer in the House. ‘‘We have special things planned. Watch out,” said Suarez.

Suarez is expected to formally take over as minority leader on Tuesday after Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman announced his resignation from the party following what he described as an ouster plot hatched by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.